Ooh ... that sounds fancy! And maybe so, but it's really humble food that helps arrest the zucchini overload every summer. 🙂 Lemon Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers are not hard to make and really make an appetizer table feel special.

Lemon Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers on a blue and white platter with lemon wedges, basil, and edible flowers.

Choose the right zucchini flowers!

Allow the flowers to grow a bit so that you have ample space to stuff them. The male flowers are the ones with only the stem on them. The female ones have the fruit starting below the flower. Leave the ones with the fruit and select the ones with only the stem. There are usually more male ones than female so your crop will not be affected.

Zucchini flower bouquet laying on the countertop

Prep the flowers for stuffing

Trim the stem right below the flower, then remove the stamen. I like to use chef's tweezers for this task because the flowers are rather delicate. The tweezers help me remove the stamen without ripping the flower. If you are only battering the flowers, this isn't an issue, but if you are going to stuff them, it is best to keep them as intact as possible so that they hold the filling.

Bright yellow and orange zucchini blossoms with pruning shears and kitchen tweezers

What is the filling?

You really can stuff the blossoms as you please, or not at all! In this case, I've chosen ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, lemon, and basil. Simple, clean, delicious.

Just mix it all together and season with salt and pepper.

The stuffing is ricotta cheese, parmiggiana-reggiano cheese, lemon, and basil.

How do I get the stuffing into the delicate flowers?

What a great question. Of course, you can try to use a spoon. If you do, I sure hope you are more successful than I usually am!

It's helpful to put the filling in a piping bag or a plastic bag with the corner cut off. Then you can easily squeeze the right amount into each flower without ripping the flower. Good luck!

Use a ziploc bag with the corner cut off to pipe the stuffing into the flowers.

Now that the flowers are stuffed, let's fry them.

The batter is a bit like a tempura or beer batter ... flour and something bubbly like soda water or a nice light (but tasty) beer. And of course, seasoning.

The frying batter is seasoned flour whisked with beer.

It's quite easy to whisk the flour and liquid together. You want a thin pancake-type batter ... more like crepes than American pancakes.

Dip each stuffed flower into the batter carefully. I prefer to do it with my hands than with tongs so that I can be most careful with the delicate nature.

Coating the flowers lightly with the beer batter

Heat some oil to about 350 degrees and carefully lay the flowers into it. After they are golden on one side, turn them to the other side. When they are done, place them on paper towels to drain before serving.

A skillet with a little oil is all it takes to fry the zucchini flowers crispy.

How to serve Lemon Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Place the prepared flowers on a beautiful platter, sprinkle with plenty of flaky sea salt, and garnish with lemon wedges, basil leaves, and edible flowers. There's no need for a sauce since the filling is saucy and cheesy enough. Serve as an appetizer, serve alongside grilled zucchini, or stand next to the stove and eat them as they come out of the pan! They are delicious any way you get them into your mouth.

Close up view of Lemon Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Recipe

Lemon Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Tammy Circeo

One way to curb the large amount of zucchini that is abundant during the growing season is to harvest some of the flowers to stuff and fry. It's a quick appetizer or even a lunch, delicious with ricotta, lemon, and basil.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Servings 12 zucchini blossoms

Ingredients

12 zucchini (or other squash) blossoms
neutral oil for frying I like to use avocado oil.
Flaky salt, to season after frying

FOR THE LEMON RICOTTA STUFFING

¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
¼ cup parmiggiano-reggiano cheese freshly grated
2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
salt & pepper, to taste

FOR THE BATTER

½ cup all-purpose flour
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup beer of choice or sub sparkling water

Instructions

Be sure the zucchini flowers are cleaned of dirt and bugs. Remove the stem and carefully pull the stamen from the inside of the flower. The flowers are delicate and will tear easily so I like to use kitchen tweezers to remove the stamen.
Mix the ingredients for the lemon ricotta filling in a small bowl, then transfer it to a piping bag or a plastic ziploc bag with the corner cut off. Pipe a small bit of filling into each flower and twist the tops of the petals together.
Mix the ingredients for the batter together with a whisk. Use more or less of the beer or sparkling water as needed to create a batter that is thinner than pancake batter, but not as thin as a vinaigrette. It needs enough body to adhere to the flowers and create a crispy coating.
In a skillet, heat a neutral oil to about 350℉. Use enough to come up about half-way on the flowers. Allow them to become golden on one side, then flip them over to brown on the other. Remove to a paper-towel-lined platter.
Season immediately with flaky sea salt, garnish with basil, and enjoy!

Keyword stuffed zucchini blossoms, zucchini blossoms